KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 14): The FBM KLCI fell 9.99 points or 0.6%, tracking Asian shares after crude oil's overnight 3% fall hit US equities.

At 9:16am, the KLCI was traded at 1,667.19 points after fallling 3.18 points to 1,674.00 points at 9:03am. Yesterday, the KLCI declined 9.26 points to close at 1,677.18 points.

Today, TA Securities Holdings Bhd wrote in a note : "Blue chips should stay range bound in subdued trading due to lack of participation from the local fund and weak buying momentumm."

At 9:03am, Bursa Malaysia saw 40.12 million shares worth RM16.7 million traded. There were 52 gainers and 112 decliners.

SHL Consolidated Bhd and Nestle (M) Bhd were top gainer and decliner respectively. The most-active stock was Melewar Industrial Group Bhd.

Across the region, Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 0.64% while Australia's
S&P/ASX 200 erased losses for a 0.09% gain. South Korea markets are closed today and will remain closed tomorrow and on Friday for the Korean Thanksgiving Day holidays.

Today, Reuters reported that Asian shares wallowed near six-week lows on Wednesday, bruised by a fall in oil prices on renewed worries about a supply glut and as investors grew nervous about the diminishing capacity of the world's major central banks to shore up economic growth.

In overnight US share trades, the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 1.41%, S&P 500 dropped 1.48% while Nasdaq Composite was 1.09% lower.
Oil prices fell as much as 3% on Tuesday after the International Energy Agency and OPEC revised forecasts that signaled the global crude glut could persist for much longer than expected. Brent crude settled down US$1.22 or 2.5% at US$47.10 a barrel.